Building structure



" April 17 1945.

A. SMITH BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed April 2, 1943 ""pe e ed; ,7 3

v nae-2 is a hori ontal sectionlthrough the Patented Ap rr l7, 194511 1 iv e f e.

, T0 Supply the demandwhich always gexistsin I varying degree; forb'uilding structureswhich may gether structural -building elements or units I orig- "inally fiabricated at a distant factory, or factpries, numerous ingenious-suggestions have'herejtpiore'been made, all'with'theend in'viewof re l qigg the ,cost, facilitating erection; o render-' ing'thelbuildin 's erected. o e sati fa y sofar asgst rength and resistance to weatheringco'm 'idi ionsre nc rn It is gthe purgosepf the present invention to 'providea turther improvementiin building truco his gene al type," particularly an .im-

proved corner eonstructiqn f for "building strucitu e o the type which may be ,r n e cted li lt elfild 'fiiQmgprfifab ficated wood' building elezrrer ts; wherebythefioa of erection 'is lowered and a,more rugged, simpler, .more'weather-re- Sisting and less .rcq tl y corner jconstructionh'is realized. "Furthermore, in thedesign of the'imbe quic ly ,erected 'in 'the'fieldby assembling-tosimilar -t0 the horizontal section, Figure '2, -but taken through slig htly modified embodiments of :theinvention. v

In accordance with the invention the two'angularl-y disposed side walls of a building are "rigidly -and 'firmly-jsecured together, at the "corner of the '-building,=by means -which" operates in accordance "with the principle "of operation'ofa clamp, the

usual nails, screws; or 'othersimilarsecuring*de- -v-ices bein gwholly dispensed'with. "Theelements generally include 'an inner "e'lamping means; for instanoe a vertica'l wooden element, having surfacesfor engaging the inner surfaces of the wvalls ingsurfaces for engaging 'the outer surfaces of the angularly disposed"wa1ls,-and a series ofhori- *zontally extending securing devices -orattach- -ment"'bolts extending through registering or 20 aligned *apertures "in the inner and outer clamp-t pr'pVe d ,corner construction .a major ob ective" hasv been Qto provide a. structure [of such nature that ';field assembly may not only be quickly fi by relatively unskilled labor but which I may also" readily dismantled and removed to another or .-.subs guent erecuen. A ui ine' m odytine'p h finovel omer construc ion, in c n are used, may be very Quickly taken apart; ele- Ill-@Qliiby element, without injury to'a'nysuch e ement transp rted to "ad s a po a was-,in-"the first instance, an, adv nta e, of 'very considerable importance "in many instances.

invention will 'be disclosed, these embodiments being illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in

' "Figure 1 is aperspectiveview of, portion of *the pemer of a buildingstructure embodyin one ihr ri of the novel corner construction", portions e pf -eertainof the component elements of the structure being broken away-,innorder that the 5 details'rofinterior elements may be more clearlyoolmere onjstruct onotFi u e. :1 V

"Figure 3 is aside view of "the end portionpof ne of thesidin mmembers :or beams {utili ed in punch "flg l e 9 51 a se tion onf'line' 44-4 ,of Figure 3; and

v,ssz ws; ther similar secur n elements I "again erected aseasily and as accurately as it 113v way of example several embodiments of the t 5 A p t e .cornerloonstructio of Figures 1 mg means, and betwr'een 'the ends ofthe djacent ;-wa'l1s,* by meansof which the inner and outer clamping means may be drawn towards each other to "exert the desired clamping action "upon the ends of the individual beams 01' siding ele- "ments which together comprise 'the 'walls.

In addition to the inner and outer clamping means "justireferred to, and the clamping lbolts 'termediatemejmberwhich I designate a beam aligning brlo'oating member, which facilitates the constructior oi'the-corner. This member, which is vertically disp'osedand positioned intermediate-theinner and outer clamping means and 5 is likewise penetrated by the securing "bolts, is

provided With'surf aces against which the ends of, "the several beams' which together comprise the v sidewalls are caused to contact as'the walls are i erected, and advantageously is. provided with grooveslinto which tongues formed'on :the end ofthebeam members are received, the several beam thus being definitely brought into the desired relationship with'each other as the. side the clamping operation which is to be, subsequently performed. 'Either the inner clamping means or the outer clamping means, is provided with aportiomeither a projection or a recessto interlock withthe'end of each siding member or wall beam with which it comesincontact, so I that no one. of these beams may be Withdrawn from "between 'the'clamping members, by any ordinaryrpull or tensional'force subsequently'ex- I I erted, 'bothinnerfiand outer clamping means I "Figures 5; 6 and "7 "are, respectively," generally breferablyhaving such interlocking engagement of the clamp' may be "variously; constructed, but

of the building, an outer clamping means -hav-' orequivalent devicesfLpreferablyemploy aninwalls offthe structure are built up,jto"lfacilitate with each beam of each wall, with the result that the angularly displaced walls are positively tied together and the resulting structure has the ability to withstand any and all destructive forces which ordinarily are exerted upon a building structure. t

The several members of the corner construction are so assembled, however, that the structrim may be readily dismantled by merely loosening and removing the several attachment bolts, a feature of great advantage.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 and 2 the walls W and W are disposed at an angle of 90 to each other but obviously the invention may be employed where the walls meet at angles which vary widely from the right angle. Each wall comprises a plurality of superposed siding members or beams, indicated at I0, these beams being preferably of the type shown in Figures 3 and 4, having upwardly projecting tongues I8 and grooves or recesses I formed in their lower edges, to provide a tight, weather-resisting and rigid construction, the tongue of each beam entering the longitudinal groove or recess in the beam just above it. Likewise at least one end vided with grooves II and II? for the reception resting upon the foundation.

locating member I I, the head I5 of the bolt being located in a countersunk recess in the outer clamping member and the securing nut I5 by means of which clamping force may be applied being located within a recess formed in the inner clamping means. There will naturally be emloyed several of these securing bolts in any given corner construction, arranged at suitable intervals one above the other. Theymay not be loosened from without the building, but may be readily loosened from within.

In the erection of the corner construction the inner and outer clamping means and the intermediate beam locating member I I are first vertically positioned, the lower ends of these parts Only the beam locating member, however, needs to be precisely located, the inner and outer clamping means being only approximately positioned, relatively wide spaces being left between these means in order that the ends of successive beams may be freely inserted between them. By reason of the fact that the outer clamping means includes the locking tongues I3 and I4 the distance between mutually facing surfaces of the inner and outer clamping means, during the assembly period, should be greater than the width of a beam plus the height of the locking rib, an even greater space being preferred in order that the beam end may be introduced between the clamping means with facility and its end rib I0 caused to enter one of the grooves I I or II and the locking ribs of the axially projecting tongues I0 of the several beams of the intersecting walls W and W. Naturally, when the tongues I0 of all of the beams of one wall section are definitely positioned Within the receiving groove II (or II of the beam locating member II, the several beams are then quite definitely located with respect to each other and the several vertically extending grooves I0 formed in the outer surfaces of the several beams of such wall are in vertical alignment with each other so as to form one elongated vertically extending groove.

The inner clamping means preferably comprises a single structural element I2, which may be approximately rectangular in cross section, so as to have faces I2 and I 2 respectively, disposed at a right angle to each other, these faces being adapted to engage the inner'faces or. surfaces of the several beams III which together form the Walls W and W, as indicated in Figure 2;

The outer clamping means com-prises, in this form of the invention, two elongated members indicated at I3 and I4, respectively, the member I3 beingprovided with a lateral tongue I3 to enter the continuous slot formed by the aligned grooves III of the several beams of the. wall W, and being also provided with a recess I3 to receive with a close fit a tongue I4 of the second member I4 Member I4 likewise is provided with an elongated rib or tongue I4 to enter the continuous slot formed by the aligned grooves I0 of the several beams III which together comclamping means, and in the intermediate beam I3 or M caused to enter the groove in the beam being applied. It will be. observed that grooves I I and I I flare outwardly somewhat, permitting flange or rib. I0 of any wall beam to enter the groove while the beam itself is somewhat angularly disposed to its final position in order to avoid interference with rib I4 or I3, as the case may be. After the'end of each beam ID has been inserted the beam as an entirety is then moved into the true plane of the wall to be built and thereafter driven downwardly so that its lower edge interlocks with the upper edge or the beam just below. After all of the beam's'of both walls have been assembled in this manner the bolts I5 are tightened and the] clamping means drawn toward each other to tightl clamp between them all of the previously inserted beam: ends, the re sulting structure comprising-a still, rigid and ornamental corner construction, which is entirely effective in excluding moisture and'is altogether satisfactory in every way. If the building is to be dismantled the securing devices may be released, the inner and outer clamping means spread apart and the beams I0 successively removed. The entire assembly can then be transported and erected at another selected locality. In the form of the invention of which a section is shown in Figure 5 the inner clamping means 20 is also providedwith locking ribs, indicated at 20 and 20 and the beams ZI are not only exteriorly grooved, as at 2!", to receive the locking ribs 22 and 23 projecting from members 22 v and 23, but are provided with inner grooves II to receive the ribs 20 and 20 The ends of the several beams are, therefore, positively locked to the clamping means at two places, instead of one, increasing the holding 'strength'of the corner construction.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 6 the inner clamping means 30 and the intermediate beam locating member3l form integral portions of a common vertically extending member, simplifying the. construction..The outer clamping means may be as before and the usual securing bolts are employed. In the form of the invention shown in Figure '7 the beam locating column is omitted and the corner construction comprises the inner clamping means 40, having flanges or ribs 40' and the outer clamping means M which may be of light metal, or of rigid and strong plastic material, having terminal vertically extending ribs M. The beams 42 are preferably provided with both inner and outer vertical grooves or recesses, for the reception of the ribs 40' and 4|, so that, when the securing bolts 43 are tightened after assembly, the ends of the cally disposed member having tongue and groove engagement with the ends of the beams comprisbeams are tightly clamped between the inner and outer clamping means and are also securely locked against endwise movement. The one-piece outer corner member or clamping means 4| provides an effective seal against the entry of moisture into the corner construction, isattractive in appearance, and altogether suitable for the use intended.

In adapting the invention for use in the construction of buildings of other types the design and arrangement of its component elements may obviously be considerably modified and it is also clear that the improved corner construction may be employed at reentrant comers, as well as at projecting corners of buildings as shown, without secting vertical planes, respectively, each wall comprising a series of superposed beams, a vertiing said walls, and a clamp for maintaining said walls in fixed relationship, said clamp including an inner clamping means, an outer clamping means, and a series of connecting bolts, the inner clamping means being vertically disposed .and having-surfaces engaging, respectively, the inner surfaces of said walls, the outer clamping means having surfaces which engage, respectively, the

outer-surfaces of said walls,'and the connecting bolts passing through saidvertically disposed member and both such means and maintaining -member engaging position, saidclamp including inner and outer clamping means engaging, respectively, the inner' and outer surfaces of the walls, and tension members connecting said means at a plurality of points. I

3. The combination set forth in claim 2 in which said tension members comprise boltswhich pass through apertures in said vertically extending member and intermediate the ends of the beams.

ALFRED SMITH. 

